Modular assembly

Abstract

The invention is a modular assembly of modular objects for autonomously executing a variety of tasks. The modular assembly consists of a modular object called a platform, one or more modular objects called modules which are mounted to the platform in accordance with a modular assembly system, and a modular bus system for distributing electrical power and electrical signals among the modular objects in the modular assembly. The modular assembly system utilizes modular object fasteners (MOFs) and MOF-accommodating features of modular objects for facilitating the attachment of a plurality of modular objects to one another thereby creating a modular assembly in any one of a variety of configurations, an MOF being activatable when object attachment surfaces associated with two modular objects are superimposed and two object attachment points on the object attachment surfaces coincide.

1. A modular assembly of modular objects for autonomously executing tasks comprising:
 a modular assembly system utilizing modular object fasteners (MOFs) and MOF-accommodating features of modular objects for facilitating the attachment of a plurality of modular objects to one another to create a modular assembly in any one of a plurality of configurations, the modular assembly system facilitating the detachment of modular objects in an assembly and the reattachment of the same or different modular objects to form a different configuration of the modular assembly or a different modular assembly, an MOF being activatable when object attachment surfaces associated with two modular objects are superimposed and two object attachment points on the object attachment surfaces coincide; 
 a modular object called a platform comprising a frame of interconnected beams and any cross-members attached to the frame, the frame being amenable to the attachment and detachment of cross-members within the frame, beams and cross-members being structural members consisting of one or more parallel flanges and one or more webs normal to the flanges, coplanar exterior surfaces of the flanges of the beams and cross-members constituting object attachment surfaces with object attachment points designated thereon, the web surfaces of the beams and cross-members constituting bus-attachment surfaces; 
 one or more modular objects called modules, a module having at least one object attachment surface with object attachment points designated thereon, the interior surfaces of a module being bus-attachment surfaces, a module being attachable to a platform or to another module when one or more of the object attachment points on an object attachment surface of the module coincide with one or more object attachment points on an object attachment surface of the platform or the other module; 
 a modular bus system for distributing electrical power and electrical signals among a plurality of modular objects in a modular assembly, the modular bus system comprising modular-object bus systems attached to one or more bus-attachment surfaces within each modular object, one or more inter-object bus connectors for electrically connecting the plurality of modular-object bus systems to one another, and one or more intra-object bus connectors for enabling the flow of electrical power and electrical signals between the bus system of a modular object and units within the modular object. 
 
     
     
       2. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein the modular assembly system comprises:
 one or more object attachment surfaces associated with each modular object; 
 a plurality of object attachment points designated on each object attachment surface, the object attachment points of each object attachment surface being congruent with points on an attachment point pattern, the attachment point pattern being the points in a plane corresponding to the intersections of equally-spaced x-lines and y-lines, the x-lines being parallel to the x-axis and the y-lines being parallel to the y-axis in an x-y Cartesian coordinate system; 
 a fastening system for attaching one modular object to another at coinciding object attachment points, the fastening system comprising modular object fasteners (MOFs) working in conjunction with MOF-accommodating features of the modular objects, an MOF being a device or a combination of devices which, when activated, in combination with MOF-accommodating features of two modular objects applies opposing forces to the two modular objects at coinciding object attachment points thereby holding the two objects together at the coinciding object attachment points, the forces applied to two modular objects by an MOF being removed when the MOF is deactivated. 
 
     
     
       3. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein the web of a cross-member attached to a beam or another cross-member extends into the interior region of the beam or the other cross-member bounded by the interior surfaces of a flange and a web of the beam or the other cross-member and having a web attachment axis within the web and normal to the flange of the cross-member, a first cross-member being attachable at each end to a beam or to a second cross-member by a cross-member attachment system comprising a cross-member fastener (CF) acting in concert with CF-accommodating features of the first cross-member and the platform beam or the second cross-member, a CF being activatable when the web attachment axis of the first cross-member is normal to an object attachment surface and passes through an object attachment point of the object attachment surface of a platform beam or a second cross-member. 
     
     
       4. The modular assembly of  claim 3  wherein the CF is a pin terminated at one end by a threaded region, the CF-accommodating features of the first cross-member being a hole through the web coaxial with the web attachment axis at each end of the first cross-member, the CF-accommodating features of the beam and second cross-member being holes in the flanges concentric with object attachment points and having threaded regions beginning at the object attachment surfaces and extending part way through the flanges. 
     
     
       5. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein the modular object fasteners (MOFs) utilized in attaching a modular object to a platform are bolts, the MOF-accommodating features of a platform being holes concentric with object attachment points, the portions of the holes adjacent to the object attachment surface being threaded so as to engage the threaded ends of the bolts. 
     
     
       6. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein a modular object fastener (MOF) is activated or deactivated by means of an MOF tool having access to the MOF through an access opening in a wall of a module. 
     
     
       7. The modular assembly of  claim 6  wherein an access opening is centered on an object attachment point of the module. 
     
     
       8. The modular assembly of  claim 6  wherein an object attachment point of a module is the location of an access opening and also is a location which may be used in attaching another module to the module. 
     
     
       9. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein the MOFs are bolts, the MOF-accommodating features of a module to be attached to a platform or to another module being holes in the module wall that contacts the platform or the other module, the holes being sized to receive the bolts and concentric with object attachment points associated with the module wall. 
     
     
       10. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein the MOFs are bolts, the MOF-accommodating features of a module to which another module is to be attached being holes in the module wall that the other module contacts, the holes being threaded so as to engage the bolts and being concentric with the object attachment points associated with the module wall. 
     
     
       11. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein a modular-object bus system comprises one or more interconnected bus sections attached to the interior surfaces of a modular object, adjoining bus sections being connected by an intra-object bus connector utilizing a support structure attached to the modular object at one or more object attachment points. 
     
     
       12. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein a modular object bus system comprises one or more interconnected bus sections attached to the interior surfaces of a modular object, adjoining bus sections being connected by an intra-object bus connector utilizing a support structure attached to one or more walls of the modular object. 
     
     
       13. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein a modular-object bus system comprises a first bus section and a second bus section, the conductors of the second bus section being normal to the conductors of the first bus section, an intra-object bus connector connecting the second bus section to the first bus section in any one of a range of positions in a direction parallel to the conductors of the first bus section. 
     
     
       14. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein intra-object bus connectors are attached to the ends of a cross-member, the intra-object bus connectors automatically connecting bus sections attached to the cross-member to bus sections attached to beams or to other cross-members as the cross-member is installed in a platform. 
     
     
       15. The modular assembly of  claim 1  wherein an inter-object bus connector (IOBC) is mounted within a module for the purpose of connecting the bus system of the module to the bus system of a modular object to which the module is attached. 
     
     
       16. The modular assembly of  claim 15  wherein an IOBC has an IOBC attachment surface with one or more IOBC attachment points, the one or more IOBC attachment points being congruent with object attachment points of the module to which the IOBC is to be mounted, the mounting of the IOBC being accomplished with IOBC fasteners and IOBC-fastener-accommodating features of the IOBC and the module, the IOBC being attachable to the module when one or more of the IOBC attachment points coincide with the module's object attachment points. 
     
     
       17. The modular assembly of  claim 16  wherein the IOBC fasteners are bolts, the IOBC-fastener-accommodating features of the IOBC being threaded holes, and the IOBC-fastener-accommodating features of the module being holes sized to receive the bolts. 
     
     
       18. The modular assembly of  claim 15  wherein an IOBC has a drive mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the bus systems, the drive mechanism being operable by a user from outside the module containing the IOBC. 
     
     
       19. The modular assembly of  claim 18  wherein the drive mechanism comprises a rotary driver and a transmission having an input shaft linked mechanically to an output shaft, a given angular displacement of the input shaft resulting in a smaller angular displacement of the output shaft. 
     
     
       20. The modular assembly of  claim 19  wherein the rotary driver is a wrench coupling attached to the input shaft of the transmission. 
     
     
       21. The modular assembly of  claim 19  wherein the rotary driver is an electric motor coupled to the input shaft of the transmission. 
     
     
       22. The modular assembly of  claim 19  wherein the transmission comprises a worm engaging with and driving a worm gear. 
     
     
       23. The modular assembly of  claim 15  wherein an IOBC comprises a pivoting bus connector rotatably mounted in a pivoting-connector frame and a drive mechanism, the pivoting-connector frame having an IOBC attachment surface with one or more IOBC attachment points congruent with one or more object attachment points of the module to which the IOBC is to be attached, the driving mechanism enabling a user by actions performed outside the module to which the IOBC is attached to move the pivoting bus connector from a parked position within the module to a connected position whereby the bus system in the module is connected to the bus system of the platform or other module to which the module is attached. 
     
     
       24. The modular assembly of  claim 15  wherein the IOBC comprises two orthogonal linear arrays of conducting fingers, pairs of corresponding fingers in the two arrays being electrically connected by an assembly of conductors. 
     
     
       25. The modular assembly of  claim 15  wherein the connection of the bus systems of two modular objects by an IOBC automatically causes the sealing of the modular object in which the IOBC is mounted from the entry of dust.